Inflatable liners are used in chutes where buildup is a problem. A screen machine running in the buildup of an underside chute can suffer from premature wear and failure, not to mention the increased maintenance and costly downtime. Once the liners are installed they are periodically inflated which breaks loose most material that has begun to build up on the lining.

The inflatable rubber liner premiered in early 1990. During that year, three other inflatable liner systems were installed. These liner systems were put into severe applications where their effectiveness would be determined in a very short period of time. Without exception, all of these inflatable liner systems proved their effectiveness with great success. The inflatable liner has proven to be a very cost-effective solution.

An article taken from the Amax annual report.

"In February 1990, AGI employees from Sleeper and Wind Mountain toured the manufacturing facilities of Corrosion Engineering, located in Mesa, Arizona. During the tour, Don Dunn of Corrosion Engineering demonstrated their prototype of an inflatable rubber chute liner. This inflatable liner was designed to prevent build-up in the chute below the screen. Previously, this build-up caused down time of the secondary crusher, which, of course, affected production.

Just like John Wood saw when hole 34 was drilled, we also saw gold! Not just the gold in the form of reduced maintenance cost, but also in increased production time. We have reduced maintenance cost approximately $120,000 a year and increased production by 250,000 tons a year.

Following a cost and effectiveness evaluation by Sleeper personnel, a decision was made to purchase and install the system. At that time, only a small liner was in operation at a potash plant in Pocatello, Idaho. During a planned maintenance shutdown in august 1990, the liners were installed in the underscreen chute of the secondary screen.

The liners were installed by Sleeper personnel in the maintenance department under the supervision of Corrosion Engineering. Total time required for installation was 288 man-hours over a 48-hour period. This also included repair work to the steel chute, removal of an old rubber liner, wiring of solenoid valves, and piping the air supply.

With over two million tons through the crusher, there is no measurable wear on the liners, and the build-up problem has been eliminated..."